Antique Tall Mapatag (ANTT01) (Image: J. Oliver)

The Philippines are a country in Southeast Asia comprising 7107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It is the world’s 12th most populous country, with a population of about 90 million people. There are more than 11 million overseas Filipinos worldwide, about 11% of the opulation. The Philippine’s coconut area is estimated at 4.09 million ha, with most areas comprised of small landholdings with an average farm size of 3.6 ha.

Like other countries, Tall varieties dominate the areas planted to coconut (Carpio et al. 2005). The Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) genebank in Zamboanga is considered to be one of the most important germplasm repositories of local and foreign coconut ecotypes in the world.

Currently, the Philippines have 224 coconut accessions listed in the CGRD of COGENT. The Research, Development and Extension Branch of the Philippine Coconut Authority (RDEB-PCA) reported that there are 16 coconut varieties registered with the Philippine National Seed Industry Council (NSIC), while there are 15 registered coconut hybrids. Eleven accessions are of foreign origin, such as the West African Tall (WAT), Rennel Island Tall (RIT), Gazelle Peninsula Tall (GPT), Markham Valley Tall (MVT), Vanuatu Tall (VTT), Karkar Tall (KKT), Malayan Red Dwarf (MRD), Malayan Yellow Dwarf (MYD), Equatorial Guinea Green Dwarf (EGD), Sri Lanka Green Dwarf (SGD) and Aromatic Green Dwarf (AROD). A recent addition to the PCA genebank is a rare coconut called ‘Tutupaen’ or ‘Tupa’, whose shell is so thick that it’s almost as thick as its meat. Nuts from the ‘Tutupaen’ are not consumed due to superstitious belief that once eaten, the shell will become brittle. Debris from the ‘Tupa’ tree is also buried for the same reason (Calub 2002). Cadang-cadang is a fatal disease of coconut caused by a viroid and found mainly in the Bicol Peninsula, Masbate, Catanduanes, Samar and in isolated areas in Quezon. Economic losses arise from the cessation of nut production on diseased palms. The presence of the disease has also caused problems in international trade of coconut products from the Philippines.

Collaborative Activities between BIOVERSITY/COGENT and the Philippines

1. Capacity Building

a) Technical assistance/expert advice From 1998 to 2008, nine experts visited the Philippines on seven technical assistance missions, including identifying marketable alternative coconut products and the varieties suitable for them; evaluating COGENT’s collecting and conservation strategies; assisting in the installation of equipment for feasibility studies; developing a cost and return analysis protocol for ongoing and future intercropping experiments and training local staff on using the protocol; conducting studies to enhance income and reduce poverty in coconut growing communities in the country; and training project participants in the production of fiber-based products and coconut candy making.

b) Training and human resources development Thirteen training courses were conducted in the Philippines from 1997 to 2008, mostly hosted by the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) and SEARCA, with 366 researchers participating representing more than 20 countries.

On the other hand, 260 local research staff, extension workers, community members from various partner agencies and institutions in the country underwent staff development training on coconut collecting and conservation, embryo culture techniques, technical/ proposal writing and seminar presentation, coconut data analysis, using the microsatellite kit and dedicated statistical software, poverty reduction in coconut growing communities, training course on machineries and equipment for producing high-value products from coconut fiber , coconut-based food products (Bokayo, Buko Pie, Sugar, Candies); markets and market development; and Coconut embryo culture to improve collecting and safe movement of germplasm.

c) COGENT meetings/workshops From 1994 to 2008, eight meetings have been held in the Philippines, including the 3rd COGENT Steering Committee Meeting.

2. Research Projects

A total of 39 projects have either been completed or are ongoing in the country. These projects are implemented by the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), the University of the Philippines at Los Baños (UPLB), Bicol Agricultural and Rural Development Center, Inc. (BARCDI) and the Visayas State College of Agriculture (VISCA).

3. Financial Support and Funding

Donor funding for completed and existing projects in the Philippines amounts to US$ 290,897 provided by ADB, APCC, DFID, IFAD, GCDT and BAR while counterpart financing for these projects by the national government amounts to US$ 266,227.

4. Summary of Activities and Accomplishments, Philippines

1. Capacity building a) Technical assistance provided by experts to the Philippines

Expert

Dates

Purpose

TKG Ranasinghe

Oct – Nov 1998

To identify marketable alternative products of the coconut (apart from copra and coconut oil) and to identify suitable varieties suitable for processing into identified marketable products

To develop a cost and return analysis protocol for ongoing and future intercropping experiments and to train researchers on the use of the validated protocols

Carlos Carpio

20 Sep – 31 Dec 2000

Identifying researchable constraints and opportunities to enhance income and reduce poverty in coconut growing communities in the Philippines

Engr Carlos dela Cruz

15 March 2003 – 14 June 2003

To identify and assist fabrication and installation of the machineries and equipment for the production of high-value coconut products and train project participants in the production of fiber-based products

Nguyen Thi Le Thuy

August 2003

To conduct training on Coconut Candy Making

b) Training courses conducted in the Philippines

Schedule

Course/Training Activities

Venue/Host

No. Trainees/ Countries

Funding Agency

1-12 Sept. 1997

Collecting and Conservation Course

Philippine Coconut Authority, Philippines

11/7

CFC

27-31 Oct. 1997

Embryo culture workshop/training

Philippine Coconut Authority, Philippines

14/8

CFC/ADB

16-20 Mar 1998

Farmer participatory Research on Coconut Diversity (Asia)

Philippine Coconut Authority, Philippines

24/7

IFAD

17-27 March 1999

Embryo culture training (Individual)

Philippine Coconut Authority, Philippine

2/2

ADB

30 August –3 September 1999

Technical Writing/Presentation Course

SEARCA/Philippine Coconut Authority, Philippines

18/13

ADB

6-10 September 1999

Data Analysis Course

SEARCA/Philippine Coconut Authority, Philippines

17/14

ADB

9-15 Oct 2000

Hands-on Embryo Culture Training Course

Philippine Coconut Authority, Philippines

7/5

ADB/ DFID/ IFAD

2-7 April 2001

STANTECH Training Course

Zamboanga Research Center, Philippine Coconut Authority, Philippines

6/6

ADB

5-14 December 2002

Training Course on Poverty Reduction in Coconut Growing Communities

PCA, Bago Oshiro Davao City, Philippines

33/3

ADB/DFID

28-30 April 2003

Training Course on Machineries and Equipment for producing high-value products from coconut fibre

i) Feasibility study on the village scale production and marketing of high value products (coconut flour and white oil) from fresh coconut meat and identification of suitable varieties for these uses

-do-

5,000/IFAD

2,500

j) Catalogue of Conserved Coconut Germplasm

-do-

1,500/ADB

750

k) Establishing a framework and selecting project sites for a nationwide deployment of coconut-based poverty reduction interventions in coconut growing communities using COGENT’s 3-pronged strategy in the Philippines

-do-

4,000/DFID

2,000

l) Coconut embryo culture research to develop effective technology for the production of coconut seedlings from the high-value soft-endosperm coconut variety “Lono”

o) Utilization of embryo culture technology for germplasm conservations: development of medium term conservation for coconut zygotic embryos

Institute of Plant Breeding

5,000/DFID

2,500

p) Feasibility studies on the establishment of integrated coconut husk processing and prototype makapuno production and processing projects in the province of Albay and identification of coconut varieties suitable for the identified high-value products

v) Molecular marker-based characterization of conserved coconut germplasm in national genebank and selected farmers’ varieties in the BIOVERSITY/COGENT poverty reduction project sites in the Philippines